Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00
Written by Micki Kaufman
Friday, 10 September 2010 02:10
One thing you see every holiday season is the emergence of “pop up stores.” These are temporary retail locations that take over unused floor or store space in malls and strip centers to offer seasonal merchandise. You’ll find them selling christmas decorations or gifts, Halloween costumes, calendars, and other items that only sell for a few weeks or months during the year. When the season is over, they shut down operations until the next year. While these stores are in operation, they need to have the same or even more efficient point of sales systems than regular stores.
Why is POS so important? Simply because the nature of a temporary store is that you have lots and lots of customer traffic in one big burst. Any slowdowns at the checkout lane will drive potential customers to get out of line and go somewhere else. These are sales that can’t be recouped. If you don’t grab them when they’re hot, you don’t get them at all.
Traditional telecom services are a problem for temporary operations of all types. The standard contract for a T1 line or other bandwidth solution is the 1 to 3 year contract. That’s fine for bricks and mortar operations that are a fixture in the community. They know they’ll need the service for at least that long. But what’s a pop-up operation to do? Pay for an entire year’s service even if you need it for only a few weeks to a few months?
Relax. You don’t need to resort to cash only sales or those credit card machines that mangle the cards. You can get highly reliable, fast and secure cashless transactions. What’s more, you can lease this wireless broadband capability on a month to month basis and be up and running in a matter of days. No professional installation is needed. The system comes ready to plug-in and use.
What sort of bandwidth solution is this? It’s a proprietary 3G wireless service from Accel Networks. What Accel has done is make arrangements with the 3G cellular service providers for coverage in the US and Canada. They provide you with a bundled proprietary hardware and access solution. Support and monitoring is 24/7. Bandwidth bursts to over 1 Mbps download, considerably more than you’ll likely need for POS even during your busiest times. It’s all PCI compliant so you can accept major credit cards.
Temporary store locations are just one of the important uses for this wireless service. It also works perfectly to provide broadband Internet connectivity to construction trailers, special events, cleanup and rebuilding after natural disasters, or while waiting for permanent wireline services to be installed.
Many businesses use this service on a continuing basis. It takes the place of VSAT satellite terminals, hideously slow dial-up Internet access, and unavailable DSL or Cable broadband. The honest truth is that many smaller businesses don’t need more bandwidth or need to pay higher prices than with this near-universally available business wireless service. These include retail stores, gas stations, convenience stores, quick service restaurants and others.
Do you have a need for temporary or attractively priced wireless broadband service in your business or organization? Find out how little it costs and how fast you can get 3G wireless broadband service at your desired locations. You may wonder why you ever thought you needed a wire.
Why is POS so important? Simply because the nature of a temporary store is that you have lots and lots of customer traffic in one big burst. Any slowdowns at the checkout lane will drive potential customers to get out of line and go somewhere else. These are sales that can’t be recouped. If you don’t grab them when they’re hot, you don’t get them at all.Traditional telecom services are a problem for temporary operations of all types. The standard contract for a T1 line or other bandwidth solution is the 1 to 3 year contract. That’s fine for bricks and mortar operations that are a fixture in the community. They know they’ll need the service for at least that long. But what’s a pop-up operation to do? Pay for an entire year’s service even if you need it for only a few weeks to a few months?
Relax. You don’t need to resort to cash only sales or those credit card machines that mangle the cards. You can get highly reliable, fast and secure cashless transactions. What’s more, you can lease this wireless broadband capability on a month to month basis and be up and running in a matter of days. No professional installation is needed. The system comes ready to plug-in and use.
What sort of bandwidth solution is this? It’s a proprietary 3G wireless service from Accel Networks. What Accel has done is make arrangements with the 3G cellular service providers for coverage in the US and Canada. They provide you with a bundled proprietary hardware and access solution. Support and monitoring is 24/7. Bandwidth bursts to over 1 Mbps download, considerably more than you’ll likely need for POS even during your busiest times. It’s all PCI compliant so you can accept major credit cards.
Temporary store locations are just one of the important uses for this wireless service. It also works perfectly to provide broadband Internet connectivity to construction trailers, special events, cleanup and rebuilding after natural disasters, or while waiting for permanent wireline services to be installed.
Many businesses use this service on a continuing basis. It takes the place of VSAT satellite terminals, hideously slow dial-up Internet access, and unavailable DSL or Cable broadband. The honest truth is that many smaller businesses don’t need more bandwidth or need to pay higher prices than with this near-universally available business wireless service. These include retail stores, gas stations, convenience stores, quick service restaurants and others.
Do you have a need for temporary or attractively priced wireless broadband service in your business or organization? Find out how little it costs and how fast you can get 3G wireless broadband service at your desired locations. You may wonder why you ever thought you needed a wire.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00
Written by Micki Kaufman
Thursday, 09 September 2010 02:10
If your business depends on the Internet for information, sales or its entire operation, what you need is rock solid Internet access. For international companies, you need that rock solid Internet access at each and every location.
The Internet has a robust top-tier network infrastructure, with the world’s largest telecommunications providers peering to ensure that any packet from any place on Earth can get to any other place on Earth. The inherent design of the network is self-healing. If a path goes down, the core routers will find an alternative path from source to destination. This is all automatic and distributed throughout the Internet. Many of the performance limitations experienced by businesses and individuals are more related to the access networks than the core of the Internet itself.
For sure, the lack of determinate paths, quality of service mechanisms, and latency minimization does pose some limitations on Internet performance related to real-time processes. That’s especially true for two-way voice and video. That, plus transient congestion issues and inherent security, is what drives the expansion of content delivery networks and private IP networks. Even so, for e-commerce, public information distribution, email communication, team collaboration, remote workers, and many other needs, using the Internet is the most economic connectivity option if not the only one that makes sense. There’s no reason you can’t leverage the power of this enormous public resource with the right access service.
The gold standard for Internet connections is called DIA or Dedicated Internet Access. What dedicated means is that there is a certain amount of bandwidth dedicated to your exclusive use from your business location, through your Internet service provider and out to the Internet.
But aren’t all Internet connections dedicated? Not by a long shot. Virtually no residential Internet services, mobile broadband or bargain-rate Internet services sold to small businesses are dedicated. Instead, they are what is called “shared” connections. You and a few dozen to a few hundred of your fellow broadband users share a block of dedicated bandwidth between your location and your Internet service provider.
Why is this done? Simply to reduce the cost of service to make it more attractive. Many users, especially individuals, prefer low cost to guaranteed performance. They don’t mind so much if files take varying times to download or that VoIP audio has some distortion or hiccups. They’ll certainly be frustrated if their “best effort” Internet service goes down for a few hours or, in extreme cases a few days or weeks, but that won’t drive them to spend more for professional grade DIA.
Any business using the Internet for more than casual access can’t tolerate varying and indeterminate performance. The costs of lost business and productivity mount up faster than the cost of digital line services. That’s why serious businesses quickly turn to dedicated connections with service level agreements to ensure maximum availability as well as bandwidth. That bandwidth ranges from T1 lines and Ethernet over Copper broadband up through SONET and Carrier Ethernet over fiber optic connections. What you need depends on your particular situation. It could be anywhere from 1 Mbps right on up to 10 Gbps or more.
International companies have special needs, in that technology does vary somewhat worldwide. An obvious example is the use of T1 lines in the United States and E1 in Europe. An ideal situation is to work with a provider that can give you the right level of bandwidth with the right interface at each of your locations. That’s what International network service companies do. You have the advantage of one vendor to deal with and one bill for all of your broadband connections and virtual private networks (VPN) that ensure security on the largely insecure Internet.
Are you in the market for more robust Internet connections to serve your business locations, either domestic USA or worldwide? If so, find out how much quality and bandwidth you can get for your budget for International Dedicated Internet Access.
The Internet has a robust top-tier network infrastructure, with the world’s largest telecommunications providers peering to ensure that any packet from any place on Earth can get to any other place on Earth. The inherent design of the network is self-healing. If a path goes down, the core routers will find an alternative path from source to destination. This is all automatic and distributed throughout the Internet. Many of the performance limitations experienced by businesses and individuals are more related to the access networks than the core of the Internet itself.For sure, the lack of determinate paths, quality of service mechanisms, and latency minimization does pose some limitations on Internet performance related to real-time processes. That’s especially true for two-way voice and video. That, plus transient congestion issues and inherent security, is what drives the expansion of content delivery networks and private IP networks. Even so, for e-commerce, public information distribution, email communication, team collaboration, remote workers, and many other needs, using the Internet is the most economic connectivity option if not the only one that makes sense. There’s no reason you can’t leverage the power of this enormous public resource with the right access service.
The gold standard for Internet connections is called DIA or Dedicated Internet Access. What dedicated means is that there is a certain amount of bandwidth dedicated to your exclusive use from your business location, through your Internet service provider and out to the Internet.
But aren’t all Internet connections dedicated? Not by a long shot. Virtually no residential Internet services, mobile broadband or bargain-rate Internet services sold to small businesses are dedicated. Instead, they are what is called “shared” connections. You and a few dozen to a few hundred of your fellow broadband users share a block of dedicated bandwidth between your location and your Internet service provider.
Why is this done? Simply to reduce the cost of service to make it more attractive. Many users, especially individuals, prefer low cost to guaranteed performance. They don’t mind so much if files take varying times to download or that VoIP audio has some distortion or hiccups. They’ll certainly be frustrated if their “best effort” Internet service goes down for a few hours or, in extreme cases a few days or weeks, but that won’t drive them to spend more for professional grade DIA.
Any business using the Internet for more than casual access can’t tolerate varying and indeterminate performance. The costs of lost business and productivity mount up faster than the cost of digital line services. That’s why serious businesses quickly turn to dedicated connections with service level agreements to ensure maximum availability as well as bandwidth. That bandwidth ranges from T1 lines and Ethernet over Copper broadband up through SONET and Carrier Ethernet over fiber optic connections. What you need depends on your particular situation. It could be anywhere from 1 Mbps right on up to 10 Gbps or more.
International companies have special needs, in that technology does vary somewhat worldwide. An obvious example is the use of T1 lines in the United States and E1 in Europe. An ideal situation is to work with a provider that can give you the right level of bandwidth with the right interface at each of your locations. That’s what International network service companies do. You have the advantage of one vendor to deal with and one bill for all of your broadband connections and virtual private networks (VPN) that ensure security on the largely insecure Internet.
Are you in the market for more robust Internet connections to serve your business locations, either domestic USA or worldwide? If so, find out how much quality and bandwidth you can get for your budget for International Dedicated Internet Access.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00
Written by Micki Kaufman
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 02:10
We’re all familiar with the term cloud network. Various technologies are used to provide the infrastructure of the cloud and the services you can get through the cloud. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have your own cloud that included all your business locations?
In a way, you can. While it’s generally not practical to create a completely proprietary cloud network, you can get very close with VPLS or Virtual Private LAN Service.
The “virtual” in VPLS means that you are sharing a privately operated multipoint network that you don’t own. The most popular network for this purpose is MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching. A characteristic of MPLS networks is that they can transport any type of traffic from point to point, point to multi-point or in a fully meshed network. That includes Ethernet traffic of most any bandwidth.
VPLS is an Ethernet based meshed network that is implemented using an MPLS cloud with Ethernet access connections. Pseudo-wires are used to create any-to-any Ethernet connectivity through the MPLS network. Using layer 2 pseudo-wires allows maintenance of a single bridged domain. This is what gives the perception that all of your sites are interconnected on your own Ethernet cloud. It is truly a virtual private LAN.
VPLS makes sense if you have multiple sites in a single metropolitan area but want the experience of having everyone working in a single large, indeed very large, office building. With VPLS the PC or printer in the next office is exactly as close on the network as the PC or printer ten miles away. But VPLS isn’t limited to metropolitan area networks. You can network many cities in the state or many cities in many states. The extent of your network is limited only by the service footprint of your service provider.
Actually, provider footprint is not even a limiting factor anymore, thanks to Ethernet Exchanges like Telx that interconnect participating carriers. It is even possible to include international locations in your VPLS cloud. AboveNet is a competitive carrier that offers international VPLS for the US and major cities in Europe.
Any company or organization with multiple point of presence should have a look at VPLS as a cost effective and seamless way to interconnect their voice, video and data networks. It is right for you? Find out with a quick inquiry for cost and availability of VPLS services serving your locations.
In a way, you can. While it’s generally not practical to create a completely proprietary cloud network, you can get very close with VPLS or Virtual Private LAN Service.The “virtual” in VPLS means that you are sharing a privately operated multipoint network that you don’t own. The most popular network for this purpose is MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching. A characteristic of MPLS networks is that they can transport any type of traffic from point to point, point to multi-point or in a fully meshed network. That includes Ethernet traffic of most any bandwidth.
VPLS is an Ethernet based meshed network that is implemented using an MPLS cloud with Ethernet access connections. Pseudo-wires are used to create any-to-any Ethernet connectivity through the MPLS network. Using layer 2 pseudo-wires allows maintenance of a single bridged domain. This is what gives the perception that all of your sites are interconnected on your own Ethernet cloud. It is truly a virtual private LAN.
VPLS makes sense if you have multiple sites in a single metropolitan area but want the experience of having everyone working in a single large, indeed very large, office building. With VPLS the PC or printer in the next office is exactly as close on the network as the PC or printer ten miles away. But VPLS isn’t limited to metropolitan area networks. You can network many cities in the state or many cities in many states. The extent of your network is limited only by the service footprint of your service provider.
Actually, provider footprint is not even a limiting factor anymore, thanks to Ethernet Exchanges like Telx that interconnect participating carriers. It is even possible to include international locations in your VPLS cloud. AboveNet is a competitive carrier that offers international VPLS for the US and major cities in Europe.
Any company or organization with multiple point of presence should have a look at VPLS as a cost effective and seamless way to interconnect their voice, video and data networks. It is right for you? Find out with a quick inquiry for cost and availability of VPLS services serving your locations.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00
Written by Micki Kaufman
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 02:10
You may have a sense that you are hearing the call of the cloud wherever you go. Cloud computing, cloud services and cloud networks are, indeed, the hot topic of technology. But that song you can’t get out of your head? Perhaps what you are hearing is “It’s Cloud Computing.” Let’s listen now:
Loose Bruce Kerr pretty much says it all, with some apology to Joni Mitchell. No apologies needed to the juggernaut that is cloud services. This is a true revolution in technology, much the same as the move from mainframes to networked PCs and now back to something of a mainframe in the cloud. True, there are security and connectivity issues to be addressed. But once cloud services become established as mainstream, the idea of actually buying and upgrading software will seem as quaint as address and data switches on the front of a computer.
Are you missing out by pooh-poohing the availability of cloud computing, storage and networking? You could be saving a considerable amount of money with MPLS cloud networking to link multiple sites. If you are not ready to buy your computing from the cloud, perhaps the intermediate step of managed colocation could be a big and staff saver. It’s good to at least look at both sides, now... and in the future.
Loose Bruce Kerr pretty much says it all, with some apology to Joni Mitchell. No apologies needed to the juggernaut that is cloud services. This is a true revolution in technology, much the same as the move from mainframes to networked PCs and now back to something of a mainframe in the cloud. True, there are security and connectivity issues to be addressed. But once cloud services become established as mainstream, the idea of actually buying and upgrading software will seem as quaint as address and data switches on the front of a computer.
Are you missing out by pooh-poohing the availability of cloud computing, storage and networking? You could be saving a considerable amount of money with MPLS cloud networking to link multiple sites. If you are not ready to buy your computing from the cloud, perhaps the intermediate step of managed colocation could be a big and staff saver. It’s good to at least look at both sides, now... and in the future.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00
Written by Micki Kaufman
Friday, 03 September 2010 02:10
Like the torch that heralds the start of a new Olympics, the blackBerry Torch heralds the introduction of a new approach to mobile business communications.
The two big changes you see in this smartphone are the combination of touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus introduction of the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. Some of BlackBerry’s claims for the new OS are the ability to see all your social and RSS feeds in one place, faster Web browsing with multiple pages open, universal search for everything on your BlackBerry smartphone, improved multimedia with a build-in YouTube app, simple setup and personalizing, an intuitive fluid design.
If it sounds like BlackBerry has gone social, it has. This simply reflects the fact that social networking is now an important element in business, especially customer service and new customer acquisition. Of course you want easy and fast access to Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Linkedin and your other social networks. You need those interactions on an impromptu if not continuous basis.
Other key features of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 for AT&T include the impressive 5 Megapixel digital camera with flash, continuous auto-focus, digital zoom, face detection integrated GPS location tagging and video capture. The GPS services support also works for location-based services like AT&T Navigator.
The full touch screen features a full HTML Web browser with pinch-to-soom and tabbed browsing. You’ll be able to access email, read important documents or surf the Web while you are on a call, thanks to the AT&T network that has this multitasking ability enabled. Others don’t. You’ll be able to download view Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on the go. The next generation messaging capability allows you to send group messages and maps. Visual voicemail lets you listen to your voicemail messages in any order and easily manage your inbox without calling in.
By the way, this is not just a BlackBerry device but a 220 country world phone as well. It is compatible with the GSM 850,900,1800 and 1900 bands and UTMS 800, 850, 1900 and 2100 bands. That pretty much covers the globe. You’ll have 3G data speeds where available and WiFi that autoconnects at AT&T HotSpots. Don’t worry about running out of storage for everything you carry with you on your BlackBerry. The Torch lets you expand up to 36 GB using a microSD memory card.
Are you a BlackBerry user that’s ready to move up to the latest technology? Or have you been eyeing BlackBerry devices with envy? Here’s your chance to get a leg up on your colleagues at a tremendous online discount. Learn more and order your BlackBerry Torch 9800 for AT&T now.
Of course, you’ll also find excellent deals on free and heavily discounted smartphones at Cell Phone Plans Finder. Be sure to check the today’s special deals.
The two big changes you see in this smartphone are the combination of touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus introduction of the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. Some of BlackBerry’s claims for the new OS are the ability to see all your social and RSS feeds in one place, faster Web browsing with multiple pages open, universal search for everything on your BlackBerry smartphone, improved multimedia with a build-in YouTube app, simple setup and personalizing, an intuitive fluid design.If it sounds like BlackBerry has gone social, it has. This simply reflects the fact that social networking is now an important element in business, especially customer service and new customer acquisition. Of course you want easy and fast access to Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Linkedin and your other social networks. You need those interactions on an impromptu if not continuous basis.
Other key features of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 for AT&T include the impressive 5 Megapixel digital camera with flash, continuous auto-focus, digital zoom, face detection integrated GPS location tagging and video capture. The GPS services support also works for location-based services like AT&T Navigator.
The full touch screen features a full HTML Web browser with pinch-to-soom and tabbed browsing. You’ll be able to access email, read important documents or surf the Web while you are on a call, thanks to the AT&T network that has this multitasking ability enabled. Others don’t. You’ll be able to download view Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on the go. The next generation messaging capability allows you to send group messages and maps. Visual voicemail lets you listen to your voicemail messages in any order and easily manage your inbox without calling in.
By the way, this is not just a BlackBerry device but a 220 country world phone as well. It is compatible with the GSM 850,900,1800 and 1900 bands and UTMS 800, 850, 1900 and 2100 bands. That pretty much covers the globe. You’ll have 3G data speeds where available and WiFi that autoconnects at AT&T HotSpots. Don’t worry about running out of storage for everything you carry with you on your BlackBerry. The Torch lets you expand up to 36 GB using a microSD memory card.
Are you a BlackBerry user that’s ready to move up to the latest technology? Or have you been eyeing BlackBerry devices with envy? Here’s your chance to get a leg up on your colleagues at a tremendous online discount. Learn more and order your BlackBerry Torch 9800 for AT&T now.
Of course, you’ll also find excellent deals on free and heavily discounted smartphones at Cell Phone Plans Finder. Be sure to check the today’s special deals.
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